An Outpouring of Frustration Over Pennsylvania’s Rapid Data Center Growth
Key takeaways
- Josh Shapiro, who has tried to thread the needle of welcoming data centers while proposing some guardrails, was a frequent target.
- We have been bulldozed over, and when citizens have raised concerns, they are often dismissed as uninformed, emotional or anti-progress.”
- According to the Data Center Proposal Tracker, Pennsylvania has nearly 60 data centers that have been officially proposed, are in early planning stages, have received approval to build or are under construction.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
Republish. An aerial view of Project Boson, the future site of a nearly 620,000-square-foot data center surrounded by homes and a school in Archbald, Pa. Credit: Heather Ainsworth/The Washington Post via Getty Images Related As Tech Groups Predict Huge Pennsylvania Data-Center Growth, Critics Say Some Bills Would Reduce Local Control Pennsylvania Lawmakers Are Talking the Talk on Data Center Regulations. But Will They Walk? Grassroots Resistance to Data Centers Rises in Pennsylvania Share This Article Republish Most Popular As El Niño Approaches, Scientists Predict Fierce Heatwaves, Wildfires and Floods Plugging Away at the Millions of Derelict Oil and Gas Wells in the US $370 Million Payout The latest example of burgeoning opposition to rapid data-center development in Pennsylvania came at a town hall meeting overflowing with frustration about how the state is managing the surge.
As about 225 people watched, more than 20 speakers in the two-hour online forum late Wednesday spoke about resistance to an industry they blame for rising electricity prices, heavy water use, noise pollution and rural industrialization. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has tried to thread the needle of welcoming data centers while proposing some guardrails, was a frequent target.
“This is a public trust and transparency issue,” said Jennifer Dusart, a small business owner and resident of Mechanicsburg, near the state capital. “Too many Americans are finding out about these projects after decisions have been made. We have been bulldozed over, and when citizens have raised concerns, they are often dismissed as uninformed, emotional or anti-progress.”